


the kid has got a dark side

by Heavydirtys0ul



Series: Despicable [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gun Violence, Injury, M/M, Minor Character Death, School Shootings, this is dark, this was uncomfortable to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 13:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18575401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavydirtys0ul/pseuds/Heavydirtys0ul
Summary: Logan was in the bathroom when he heard the shot. Patton had been in Science, Virgil was in English, Roman was in Drama.When the fire alarm went off, they all knew not to move.





	the kid has got a dark side

Logan had been in the bathroom. He was washing his hands. When he was younger his dad used to take him down to the shooting range, so he’s hardly a stranger to the sound of gunfire, and yet it takes him five whole seconds to register that yes. This was happening. You hear nightmare stories but you never really think do you. 

What if it was me?

He was perhaps the luckier one. He jumped up on the sink, smashed open the bathroom window with his elbow to the point he’s not sure there’s anything quite left of his shirt and skin and dropped to the ground outside, hiding behind the bins. His phone switching on had never been such a painfully long time. 

Logan calls the police, and he hears more gunfire before the call has even connected. He doesn’t remember when he started crying, he doesn’t remember when his boyfriends’ names started leaving his lips, or when he had reeled off the address. He doesn’t remember anything except how much pain his heart was in. 

The fire alarm goes off, Logan scrambles into hiding, burying himself between the bins like he intended to become a part of them. Right now, he’d give anything to be anyone other than human. 

10-15 minutes is the expected response time. He can only hope and pray.

–

Patton was in science, one moment his biggest worry had been the equation in his book, and the next it had been his life. “Down, on the ground, under the desks, go,” He’s clutching the textbook too his chest as they all try desperately to move out of the view of the door. 

“Do you think we can get out of these windows?” One student whispered in a hushed voice. “We’re on the second floor,” another responded. One looks up quickly to glance out of the window, before nodding. 

“There’s a fire escape, but we’d have to do it one by one because it’s a little out of the way,” The teacher nods, and a couple students help barricade the door, glancing through to remain out of sight and move as quickly as possible. Another shot, a scream. Patton flinches, his eyes screwing shut as tears well in his eyes. 

Logan. Virgil. Roman. 

A whimper escapes him and he clasps his hand firmly over his mouth. 

The fire alarm goes off. 

One student gives up on quiet at the points and throws the windows open “Two at a time, go,” It becomes a race to who can get out the fastest “Stop it, none of us are getting out if you keep doing that,” Patton hisses at them. What had the world come too, when children are balancing on window ledges trying to gauge if broken arms and legs will still allow them to escape with their lives? 

The noise alerts someone, who comes peeking out behind garbage bins. “Logan,” Patton breathes a sigh of relief, almost collapsing. Taking a hint, however, the teenager scrambles to pull the food waste garbage bags from the bins to help cushion any falls that might occur, glancing over his shoulder. Even from here, Patton can see his hands trembling. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Logan cry. 

He moves along the window ledge, skirting around the outside. Now is not the best time to remember he’s afraid of heights as he reaches for the metal railings and clambers over it. He breathes a sigh of relief as he races down the metal stairs, heart pounding in his chest as he wipes tears furiously out of his eyes and launches himself into Logan’s arms. 

“Have you heard from Roman and Virgil?” Logan shakes his head. 

“We need to go Patton, now, we need to go,”

“But…”

“Roman and Virgil will be okay, but we need to get off the premises as soon as possible,” Patton meets Logan’s eyes, there are tears rolling down his cheeks and fear so haunting. The elder nods, as the last of the students, make it down. He’s never run so fast in his life. 

–

Virgil’s trying to remember what you’re supposed to do in these situations. They’d heard the gunshots from the main building. The teacher checks the coast is clear, and yet he can’t move his legs or arms or think. He can’t breathe either. He remembers stumbling through the fire exit doors and he remembers a hand on his wrist as he’s being pulled. He remembers throwing up along the way. 

He doesn’t really remember leaving the English block. He does remember looking over his shoulder, back towards the source of the noise.

He remembers thinking, did the others make it? 

And that’s all he remembers before he’s two streets away and his face is hitting the gravel. 

–

You’re taught a lot of things about school shootings, in theory, you’re taught to stay away from sight, barricade the doors and pray that the police get here in time if you don’t have an escape. You’re taught not to move the injured, and essentially watch your friends bleed out beside you. 

Roman had never wished for the open theatre to space to be a little more closed before. As he’s hiding in the corner behind the stairs and praying to any God out there that the shooter doesn’t walk in. Because if he does, they’re all but done for. The fire alarm rings so loud, the gunshots have quietened but none of them are foolish enough to believe it’s over until an officer walks through that door. 

The door creaks open. Roman bites down so hard on his lip that he tastes blood. Someone whimpers on the other side of the room. 

shot. 

Roman pushes himself further against the wall, biting back any sounds that he could possibly make as tears track his face. Gunshots echoed so much louder in this place, built for an orchestra and a tragedy that didn’t appear to be so play-pretend after all. The shots sprayed, whoever this was he had a target, and it was in this room. 

“Oh come on, make this a little fucking easier,” The shooter steps forward “If I’m going down you’re going down with me jackass,” He knows the voice but he can’t exactly place it, his ears are still ringing. The steps move closer, black boots with thick soles come into view. Roman’s vision is already blurry. He hopes these curtains will keep him hidden, that the shooter won’t notice. 

The door bursts open, he hears voice, loud brash, he hears things he’d seen in movies, he hears shots on both sides. 

Sometime later, he hears the ambulance sirens when he comes around, his own blood running through his shirt. 

–

“Virgil?” He blinks slowly to see Logan and Patton on either side, he rubs his head and sniffles. There are ambulances everywhere. “It’s okay, its just us,” Virgil, despite his pounding head and the scrape down half his face, all but lunges towards his boyfriends. Two of them. His heart stops and he jumps back.

“Where’s Roman?”

Patton looks pale “He’s gone to hospital Virgil,”

“Is he…”  
“His shoulder, he’s lost a lot of blood but, his chances are looking good,” Virgil sits back down, his head spinning “And you might have a concussion,” The youngest nods with a dazed expression, staring around him like he’s in some sort of nightmare. A big nightmare, a very real feeling nightmare. 

“We’re going to have to get him to the hospital for a checkup,” They both look up at the paramedic with a nod “You’re free to ride with him, you look like you’ve got a pretty nasty scrape there kid,” Logan looks at his tore up elbow, he’d almost forgotten in the sheer adrenaline rush and panic. He hadn’t even felt it. “Come on lads, hop in,”

The three of them sit in the back of the ambulance in silence, Logan’s expression blank with tears drying on his face, Virgil looks dazed, numb, a long scratch from his temple down to his cheek healing, with blood drying on his lips. 

Patton is the only one who cries, he cries so much he’s almost screaming trying to breathe, the paramedic tries to comfort him as he shakes, his hands grasping at the fabric of his pants so tightly his knuckles are turning white. Logan places a hand on his back, trying to soothe him as the tears pour down his face and his lungs scream for air. 

He cries until there’s no energy left in him to even move. 

–

Virgil is a lot of things, stubborn is one of them. Logan has his elbow bandaged up and Virgil has more medication than he thinks he needs whilst Patton looks like a ghost. It was Virgil who all but demanded they can see Roman. He sort of regrets it. 

They’re used to seeing Roman alive, spiritually, emotionally, physically. They’re not used to see him looking so pale and sick, his arm and shoulder bandaged, wearing a hospital gown and looking like there was no light in him. But he is alive, somewhere and somehow, more alive than death anyway. 

But they could all tell there was a big piece of Roman that they would not be seeing for a long time. They sit down, Patton’s holding Roman’s free hand with his head on Logan’s shoulder, whilst Virgil presses a kiss to the theatre student’s forehead and tells him everything’s going to be okay. His hands are shaking and everything was not okay. 

“I want to go to the chapel,” Roman eventually says quietly “I don’t know if I believe in God but…” Tears slip out of his eyes and he inhales “I saw his face, I got shot by his gun, he was right there and I’m still alive, if there’s someone out there that can tell me that’s just luck then I’m not sure they’re telling the truth,” He pauses “How many are dead?”

“Five dead, four in critical condition, a hundred or so with superficial wounds, twenty with serious injuries,” 

Roman closes his eyes and tries to stifle the tears again. They don’t stop. “He was after someone in our class, I couldn’t tell who, but he was there with a purpose, he was talking to one of us,” Patton kisses Roman’s hand. 

“He won’t be seeing the light of day again, Roman, you’re safe now, we’re all safe,” Logan said gently, but he doesn’t sound like he’s so sure of his words. “You need to rest, we all do, and if you still want to go to the chapel later then we’ll come with you, for now, you need to sleep,” 

Roman nods and squeezes Patton’s hand gently before holding out an arm for a hug with a tired sigh, trying to regain his composure. “One at a time, let’s not go completely breaking my arm,” He smiles through his tears, and it’s such a hollow and empty smile that it doesn’t even look like Roman at all. 

They’re not sure if they’ll ever be the same again, but as they exchange hugs and kisses, they know they will never take for granted each other’s lives ever. 

Over the next few days Virgil will fall asleep tucked up into Roman’s side on a hospital bed. Logan will read stories of fantasy and happy endings to them both with a fond smile. Patton will start baking again as some form of distraction from his own heartache before he finally admits he isn’t okay. The four of them will try their bests to heal, themselves and each other. It will take years. It won’t happen overnight. But they will, one day, find safety again.


End file.
